Torfaen

The religious profile of Torfaen changed substantially in the decade to 2011. At the same time there were changes in marriage, health and housing tenure.

The population changed very little

In the 10 years leading up to 2011, the population of Torfaen remained close to 91,100.

The addition of just over 100 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of Wales (up 5.5% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Torfaen was home to, on average, 5.2 people per football pitch-sized piece of land. This made it Wales' third-most densely-populated district.

Population density was higher than the average across Wales

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Wales, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Torfaen

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Torfaen increased by two years, from 39 to 41 years.

This industrial area had a slightly lower average age than Neath Port Talbot, a statistically similar local authority area (42 years of age) and had a similar age to the average local authority area across Wales (41 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 1,900 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 3,000.

About 12% of people in Torfaen are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in Wales, Caerphilly and Torfaen by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Welsh language in Torfaen

The proportion of Welsh speakers in Torfaen fell from 11% to 9.8% in the 10 years leading up to Census 2011.

There are 784 fewer people living here who spoke Welsh compared with 2001, while the number of people who did not spoke Welsh increased by 566.

In nearby Caerphilly, 11% of people over the age of three could speak some Welsh, up from 11% at the 2001 census. Across Wales, the proportion fell from 21% to 19%.

Monmouthshire was one of the few areas that saw an increase in the proportion of Welsh speakers (from 9.0% in 2001 to 9.9% in 2011), while Carmarthenshire saw the largest fall (from 50% to 44%).

The proportion of people who could speak Welsh was lower than across Wales

Percentage of people aged three and over that said they could speak Welsh across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

Long hour working fell in Torfaen, but at a slower rate than all other local authority areas in Wales, except Denbighshire and Powys.

During this period, Torfaen fell below Merthyr Tydfil to become the Wales local authority area with the third-lowest percentage of long hours workers.

In 2011, just under 1 in 13 (7.5%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Torfaen said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 9.7% in 2001. The percentage that worked less than 16 hours in a week increased from 1.3% to 2.5%.

The largest increase occurred in Blaenau Gwent (from 8.0% to 7.2%) followed by Caerphilly (from 9.9% to 7.8%).

Long hour working in Torfaen decreased by 2.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Torfaen, Caerphilly and Wales that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

More single parents

Torfaen saw Wales' third-largest rise in the proportion of single-parent households.

During this period, Torfaen overtook Cardiff, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot to become the Wales local authority area with the sixth-highest percentage of single-parent households.

In 2011, just under one in eight (12%) households in Torfaen had a single parent, compared with 11% in 2001. The percentage with a married couple decreased from 39% to 34%.

The largest increase occurred in Rhondda Cynon Taf (from 12% to 13%) followed by Wrexham (from 9.7% to 11%).

The percentage of households with a single-parent was higher than across Wales

Percentage of households that had a single parent across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

Disability in Torfaen

Torfaen saw Wales' third-largest rise in the proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

During this period, Torfaen overtook Swansea to become the Wales local authority area with the eighth-highest percentage of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability.

In 2011, just over 1 in 18 (5.7%) in Torfaen reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities, compared with 4.9% in 2001. The percentage who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 7.8% to 7.4%.

The largest increase occurred in Denbighshire (from 4.4% to 5.5%) followed by Neath Port Talbot (from 6.2% to 7.1%).

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Wales

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Wales and the average across Wales, March 2011

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